Federal investigators arrested two men last week under the Take It Down Act after tracing online AI-generated sexual images and videos back to real-world identities — a process the FBI described as comparatively straightforward. The agency said following repost accounts, payment records, IP and device logs, and social — media artifacts allowed agents to identify suspects allegedly selling nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes, demonstrating how digital traces can aid enforcement and identification of victims.
A 20 — year-old defendant, Arturo Hernandez, is accused of posting 113 albums of AI-generated sexualized images or videos that prosecutors say were viewed nearly one million times and depicted about 50 women. The affidavit from FBI special agent Christopher Powell says victims included both public figures and private individuals such as classmates and an Instagram friend. Investigators linked a reposting account associated with Hernandez to his PayPal and to an IP address that matched iCloud login records tied to him.
Powell’s affidavit also cites direct Instagram evidence connecting Hernandez to specific content. Authorities say Hernandez followed one victim’s account and had saved the precise image used to create an AI pornographic clip that was viewed more than 36,000 times in a private Instagram folder. The filing alleges he attempted partial obfuscation by registering a Gmail nickname, “Ryan,” but agents found that same nickname on other linked social accounts, including Snapchat.
The second defendant, 51 — year-old Cornelius “Neil” Shannon, is accused of publishing roughly 360 AI-generated albums that together drew more than 2 million views and depicted about 90 women, primarily political figures, actresses and musicians. Powell’s affidavit says Shannon used his own photo as the profile image for one account; investigators cross — referenced Department of Motor Vehicle records and surveillance photos and allege a match with a man pictured wearing a Mets shirt.
Officials emphasized enforcement implications and ongoing challenges as inexpensive, widely available AI tools make realistic sexualized content easier to produce. Both men face up to two years in prison if convicted under TIDA. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the suspects used “cutting — edge digital technology to create images that degraded and violated victims across the United States,” and FBI assistant director James C. Barnacle Jr. called the conduct a “disturbing abuse of technology” that the agency will pursue.
Regulators and prosecutors said they continue to monitor toolmakers and repeat offenders as part of broader efforts to combat nonconsensual AI sexual content.
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